Scales and Legs
by KisandraWesker
Summary: Sephiroth is the General at ShinRa. Cloud is a merman on Gaia. Their destinies entertwine. What becomes of them? AGCS
1. Prologue

**Scales and Legs**

Sephiroth is the General at ShinRa. Cloud is a merman on Gaia. Their destinies intertwine. What becomes of them?

Prologue

Under the surface of the Junon Sea, silence pressed against the tapered ears of Cloud Strife as his dark blue tail pumped behind him, leaving after currents in his wake. His blonde spiked hair flowed about in the water as he went about his afternoon swim. Years ago, there was a peaceful civilization that dwelled in the sea, home to his kind. But, why were their ruins?

Because of a savage war that took place many years ago between land and sea when the boy was only five. His mother and father were killed during the war, along with the rest of his friends and family. Why it happened, he didn't mostly remember. He learned to get around on his own after the war left him as the only survivor... or so he thought.

Years went past and one fateful day, he discovered that he wasn't the last one! He met Aerith, who was a priestess to the king, Zack, the king's bodyguard, and Vincent, a quiet merman who lost his beloved during the war. Aerith had long, brown hair, bright green eyes and a pink tail. Zack had black spiky hair, turquoise eyes and a violet tail. Vincent had long, black hair, crimson hued eyes, and a tattered crimson and black scaled tail. The four were reunited and they now live among the ruins, trying to piece it back together. While the others were working at the ruins, they saw a huge, distant shadow on the surface, blocking out most of the sun's light that shone down below.

"What's that?" Zack asked, swimming upwards a little.

Vincent said nothing as his enhanced vision tried to figure out what this thing was. Suddenly, they heard loud, yet muffled shouts above the surface.

"Is that... a battle we hear?" Aerith wondered.

Cloud, being the curious one, swam towards the surface with the others following. As they got closer, the shouts got closer and became louder, but they were followed by clanging of swords. The four surfaced and they saw that a full out battle was under way.

"There's a Wutaian ship!" Zack pointed out to the distance, recognizing the design from the war years ago.

The ship was closing in fast and since it was bigger than the twenty others, the others guessed that it was the flag ship of the fleet. They looked to the far right and they saw a fleet of ShinRa ships coming, their own ships outnumbering the enemy's by double the number.

"We better go back under fast! This is about to get uglier than it is!" Zack said and they dove back underneath the surface.

However, Cloud swam cautiously around the ships, keeping track of the battle and making sure he stayed out of sight of anyone that happened to be looking out of the sea.

"Hey spike, let's go!" Zack called to him.

"Something's not right. The Wutaians... they're as if... they're just playing with them," Cloud pointed out, seeing something afoot about the enemy's movements and attacks.

"What do you mean?" Aerith asked, coming back up when she saw that the two boys didn't follow her and Vincent.

"... I think... the enemy's setting them up!" Cloud suddenly realized.

Suddenly, a loud explosion was heard and the blonde mermaid tried to dive out of the way, but something hard hit him in the head and all went black...


	2. A strange place

**Ch 1**

What is Cloud's fate?

A strange place

A moan escaped the lips of Cloud as he slowly awoke to a major pounding on the back of his head. He slowly brought himself into a sitting position. He moved his tail to make sure he had feeling in that before looking around. He was a tank that was maybe a little over a story high and fifty feet wide.

'Where am I?' he thought, pushing himself a little off the floor.

He swam about a little, taking in his new, yet weird surroundings. Looking outside, he saw an ampi-theater on the other side.

'How did I—'he started to think, but suddenly remembered what happened; the battle on the sea! Something hit him hard and that was the last thing he remembered.

Suddenly, he heard a door opening on the surface and he looked up. Two figures stood near the edge, looking down at the blonde merman. He cautiously swam to the surface, not fully sure how these humans would react to something such as he. Breaching the surface, his eyes came upon a silver haired male beauty. He had piercing MAKO eyes, a black outfit and a well toned chest that was hidden behind the black coat. His hair cascading behind him shone in the light.

The other had long, black hair, a red dot in the middle of his forehead and wore a blue outfit. By his face, he must've been a Wutaian himself.

"Where did you find him, Sephiroth?" asked the black haired male.

"I found him floating on some of the debris from a Wutaian ship. When I saw him for the first time, I couldn't believe he was really one. I thought these beings didn't exist... or says Hojo," Sephiroth replied, saying the last word with disgust, giving away a hatred for the said man.

"We'll have to keep him out of Hojo's sight for awhile. Who knows what he'll do to him if he finds out," said the black haired male.

"Who's Hojo?" Cloud asked suddenly.

The two males turned to him and Cloud felt him blush out of embarrassment. Maybe he shouldn't have spoken too soon. But, Sephiroth knelt so he could get a good look at the blonde merman before him. He had never seen such beauty; soft, baby blue eyes, golden blonde spiked hair and perfectly tanned skin.

"Hojo is the Biochemistry head... and practically insane. He claims to be my father, but the way he acts... he's no father of mine," Sephiroth replied with a shake of his head.

Cloud shifted his gaze towards the Wutaian man behind him and Sephiroth followed it.

"That's Tseng, head of the Turks. They guard Rufus, who's the President of ShinRa. ShinRa Sr. died mysteriously somehow. We're still investigating who did it," he added.

Cloud nodded in understanding. Suddenly, they heard a door open somewhere. Sensing a familiar presence, Sephiroth hissed to him "Hide!"

The merman dove back under and hid underneath the platform. Listening in, he heard another voice join the two. This third voice sounded sickly, yet held a hidden insanity to it. That must've been the man whom they spoke of now.

"There's nothing in the tank. There's no point in looking in there... unless you want me to shove you in so you can get a good look yourself," he heard Sephiroth growl.

"Now, now, Sephiroth. There's no need for that. I am of a curious mind, of course, but if you insist..." the voice faded away and the door closed.

There was an intense silence before he heard Tseng say "You can come up now." The blonde surfaced, heaving a sigh of relief.

"That was Hojo?" he asked.

The men nodded gravely. "You cannot be seen by that man. If you are caught... he'll do horrible things to you. You must stay hidden until one of us signals you to show yourself, ok?" Tseng said.

Cloud nodded in understanding. As Tseng bowed and excused himself, it was just Sephiroth and the merman. For awhile, they talked, sharing their good times and bad times, their pleasures and pains. As Cloud told his tale on how he about lost almost of all of his family but Aerith, Zack and Vincent, Sephiroth showed sympathy in his eyes. Evening came around and the General stood from his spot.

"You'll be here tomorrow morning, right?" Cloud asked.

Sephiroth nodded. "I promise I'll be here tomorrow with Tseng if I can. If you hear anyone but either me or Tseng, hide yourself," he said.

"Ok. Goodnight, Sephiroth," Cloud replied before diving back underwater.

As Sephiroth headed back to his office, he couldn't get his mind of the merman. Why was he drawn to him? Arriving at his now dark office, as he climbed into bed, he couldn't help but fear for him. What if Hojo caught him? He couldn't fathom what he would do to the sweet merman. Finally, his eyes closed and he drifted off into a dreamless sleep.

The next morning, he awoke at 3:30 a.m. Getting dressed in his usual outfit, he snuck downstairs to the ampi-theater. Looking around, he spotted the blonde sleeping beneath the platform. Smiling softly, he rapped three times on the glass.

Rousing from his sleep, Cloud looked around and saw the General on the other side of the glass, hand pressed on it. Smiling himself, he swam towards where he was and pressed his own against the glass. The two looked as if their hands were actually touching; they would've if this glass was not separating them. Sephiroth pointed upwards at the platform and Cloud nodding in understanding and swam upwards. The General hurried upstairs and met him there.

"Good morning, Cloud," Sephiroth said, sitting near the edge.

"Morning. You're up early," Cloud pointed out.

"I have to, along with the rest of the SOLDIERS. Speaking of which..." he whipped out a cell phone and pressed a number on it. After three rings, someone answered.

"Genesis, get Angeal up and wake the others." Hearing a confirmation, he hung up and shoved it back in his pocket. "Genesis Rhapsodos. He and Angeal Hewley are commanders here. By the way, how did you sleep?" he said.

"Ok, I guess..." he looked away. "I hope my friends are ok," he said.

"I'm sure they're fine. I bet they're looking for you. They better be careful when swimming near shore. A soldier could spot them and..." he trailed off, not wanting to finish his sentence for Cloud's sake.

Suddenly, they heard a small, weird noise. It came from Cloud's stomach. The two chuckled as Sephiroth got up and went to get breakfast for the both of them. While he waited, he heard something and hid. But, it was only Tseng.

"Cloud, are you awake?" he whispered.

Hearing the familiar voice, Cloud surfaced and smiled.

"Awake, huh?" Tseng asked, kneeling near the edge.

"Sephiroth woke me up. He just went to get breakfast for us. By the way, what do you and the other Turks do?" Cloud asked, resting his arms on the edge and resting his head on them.

"... We do assassination missions and what else the President wants us to do. Recently..." For a moment, Cloud saw sadness in Tseng's eyes. "... Elena was murdered. She and I... we loved each other," he said, voice cracking a little.

Cloud gasped. "... How long did you two love each other?" he asked.

"Two years. Two years we were together and... she was taken from us... from me," Tseng said, turning away, determined not to show tears that were forming in his eyes.

Sephiroth happened to come in during the Turk's confession and a sad frown formed on his lips. He remembered when the Turks came back with Tseng carrying Elena's dead body. For a day, Tseng couldn't stop crying for her death. Their mission was to assassinate a drug lord in Midgar and it went wrong and it cost their 'sister's' life. Though he was killed, Elena had sacrificed herself for her lover by taking a dagger through the heart, thanks to a last ditch by the drug lord. Tseng got up and excused himself quickly before leaving the room.

Cloud and Sephiroth followed him with saddened eyes.

"He hasn't gotten over it then, huh?" Cloud asked.

Sephiroth shook his silvery mane sadly. "Thinking of her brings him nothing but pain, though he tries not to show it," he said, setting the tray of breakfast down before them.

"Reminds me when I lost my parents during the war," Cloud remembered sadly.

Sephiroth brushed the merman's hand with his own in a small gesture of comfort. "Enough with the sad times. Breakfast is ready," he said with a small smile.


	3. New friends

**Ch 2**

Cloud befriends Sephiroth and Tseng while avoiding Hojo's detection.

New friends

Later that afternoon, Sephiroth left for a meeting, leaving Tseng in charge of guarding Cloud. The blond merman busied himself by swimming the length of the tank, once in awhile flipping out of the water and doing a trick or two before splashing back in, earning an occasional cheer from passing soldiers that went by the ampi-theater. Cloud only smiled and waved at them in return. Tseng couldn't help but crack a grin and shake his head.

"Hey, Tseng. Do you like the water?" Cloud asked out of curiousity.

Tseng nodded. "I did grow up near the ocean. I remember when I was a child, I would drag my parents to the beach just so I could go swim," he added while sitting cross-legged near the ledge.

"Do you still like it?" Cloud inquired.

Tseng nodded again. Suddenly getting a mischevious grin, the merman raised his tail out of the water. Eyes going wide, the Wutain Turk knew of his intentions. "Cloud, don't you-"

Too late. With a mighty smack of his tail, water suddenly drenched Tseng in a mini wave. Cloud broke into hysterical laughter as he gazed upon the soaked human male. Tseng only glared at him, but it seemed impossible to stay mad, so a grin of his own curved his lips.

"What's going on in here?"

The laughter immediately stopped as a redheaded male stepped inside. He wore a red trench coat that matched his short fiery red hair. At his side was a five foot sword with tiny strange symbols engraved along the flat of the blade. Cloud's eyes widen slightly as he entered. He could feel his cheeks heat up again. The man stared down at the merman and his own eyes widened in surprise.

"Well now, who do we have here?" he asked as he knelt near the edge to get a good look at the blond, who was now blushing furiously.

"Genesis, where are- oh there you are!" came another voice.

Another one stepped in. This one had jet black hair that was combed back. He wore a dark blue t-shirt with black pants. Strapped to his back was a six foot broad sword. His expression mirrored Genesis's earlier one for a moment before relaxing and kneeling next to the red head.

"Commanders Hewley and Rhapsodos, this is Cloud. We found him unconscious about a day or two ago. He got caught up in the siege that took place just off the coast. Thankfully, Hojo doesn't know of his presence and it must continue that way," Tseng said sternly at the end.

"Hojo's a bastard, no doubt about that. He's been reading up on myths and says he's going to find one sooner or later. Says he wants to know about their anatomy," Genesis nodded.

"I agree." Turning back to the merman, Commander Hewley introduced themselves. "My name is Angeal Hewley and this is Genesis Rhapsodos. We're Commanders here in SOLDIER and we're friends with Sephiroth. I suppose he met you earlier," Angeal said.

"I did. He seems very nice," Cloud swam closer to the edge. "You guys love each other, don't you?" he blurted out suddenly.

Genesis and Angeal were taken aback at this sudden question. Cloud smiled and continued. "I have an ability to see people's emotions. That's how I know. Aerith taught me this ability. She's a mermaid priestess, but she's like a sister to me."

"Are there more of your kind?" Genesis asked as he and Angeal now sat near the edge, cross-legged.

Cloud's smile faded and shook his head sadly. "No. When I was little, a war broke out between land and sea."

Angeal's face lit up as a thought entered his mind. "I read about that. Years ago, there, indeed, was a war. Before that time, peace reigned the two worlds. However, there were humans who polluted the oceans, therefore, endangering the lives of those down below. They felt their lives being threatened by these acts, so they fought back and that's how it began," he said.

Cloud nodded slowly, tears springing to his blue eyes. "... My parents got killed, along with many of my other friends and those I considered family. Along with myself, there's Aerith, Vincent and Zack. We're the only ones left," he added, his voice cracking at the end.

The three men were shocked at the losses he went through. "I'm surprised you don't have a hatred for humans by now. They're the ones who ruined your homes," Tseng spoke.

"I know and I started to have a grudge against them. That is until Aerith talked some sense into me. She told me that there was still good in this world. At first, I didn't want to believe her, but..." he looked up at them, that soft smile returning. "I think I do now. If you were like the others, you would've given me to Hojo by now and you wouldn't even feel guilty about it," Cloud said.

"Are you kidding? Give you to Hojo? Hell no! There's no way on Gaia that slimeball's going to lay one finger on you. We'll see to that and so will Sephiroth!" Genesis vowed.

Cloud nodded in thanks. Angeal turned towards Tseng and noticed his damp state. "What happened? Did you fall in?" he asked.

"Ask our new friend here," Tseng replied with a playful glare aimed at the blond, who smirked back at him.

The two Commanders busted out laughing as did Cloud.

"What's with the racket?" came Sephiroth's voice.

When the General came in, he, too, saw Tseng's state and hid his oncoming laughter in a cough. The three finally calmed down after a moment as they saw the Wutain leaving.

"Aww, come on, Tseng! We were just playing with you!" Genesis called after him. Then, he sighed and shook his head. "He's got no sense of humor whatsoever. Doesn't know a good joke even if it slapped him in the face."

"Can you blame him? He's a Turk, after all. At least Reno knows how to laugh. But, that guy gets on my nerves sometimes with the pranks he pulls," Angeal said while pinching the bridge of his nose.

Sephiroth smirked while Cloud let out a chuckle. "You two should get back to work. I'll see you two later on," the General said.

The Commanders nodded and headed out, but not before Genesis shot a wink at Cloud, causing him to blush again. Sephiroth shut the door behind them before heading to the edge and sat down, propping an arm on his knee.

"Are you alright in here?" he asked.

"Yeah, I like it in here. It's not the ocean, but beggers can't be choosers, you know?" Cloud replied.

Sephiroth nodded in agreement before a thoughtful look entered his Mako eyes. Cloud tilted his head in curiousity before resting his head on his arms on the ledge. "What's the matter? You're worried about something," he said.

Sephiroth's eyes widened a little. "How do you-"

"I already told them this, but I have this ability to know how people are feeling. Something's got you concerned. What's wrong?" Cloud replied, concern in his own eyes.

The elder male sighed. "I overheard Hojo talking when I walked by his lab. I think he suspects your presence. He doesn't know for sure, but I can't risk him finding out the truth. If he finds you in here..." he visibly shuddered.

"He still doesn't know I'm here, right?" Cloud gulped.

"Like I said, not for certain, but he's got his suspicions. I think the SOLDIERs that see you accidentally speak about you while passing by his office. I know they don't mean to, but it's getting the professor riled up and that's not good. I hate to say this, but you can't hide in there forever. Is there a way for you to come on land?" Sephiroth said.

Cloud thought for a moment before an idea struck him. With a grunt, he hauled himself out of the water and laid his tail out in front of him. "My parents' were able to go on land when they are dry. So if maybe I lay here for a bit..." then, the scales on his tail began to shimmer.

Both watched in wonder as his tail slowly started to split into a pair of human legs! The only thing left on him were patches of scales down his legs. "It worked!" Cloud cheered.

Both men grinned as Sephiroth took off his trench coat, revealing a black muscle t-shirt underneath, and placed it around him before scooping the merman-turned-human into his arms. "Let's find you something that fits you," he said before carrying him out of the tank room.

Cloud blushed again as he was carried through the hallways and up a back flight of stairs. "Where are we going?" he asked, his voice echoing in the stairwell.

"I'm taking you to my office. This is a shortcut I often use if I'm in a hurry, but in this case, I'm not going to let Hojo see you," Sephiroth replied.

Getting to the top, Cloud slid out of his arms. "I want to try and walk," he said.

"Alright. I'll help you if you want me to," Sephiroth nodded before opening the door and allowing Cloud to go first.

The first few steps were shaky, but soon enough, he got the hang of it. Sephiroth only had to catch him a couple of times. As they walked towards the General's room, Cloud looked around in awe. "This place sure is huge. Did anyone get lost here?" he asked.

Sephiroth chuckled. "The new ones that come do get lost. I've had a lot of my students say the reason why they're late was because they couldn't find the right classroom.

Cloud laughed. "How many excuses a day?" he asked out of curiousity.

"Hmm... about a few dozen a day," Sephiroth replied after a moment of thought.

Cloud laughed again. "Oh Shiva, that must drive you nuts by now!"

"You have no idea." Sephiroth shook his head.

After several more minutes, they reached a steel door. Sephiroth took out his cardkey from his pocket and slid into the slot beside the door. The door slid open with a hiss, allowing the two men to enter. Cloud looked around and, once again, was in awe. The office was the size of an average family living room. Glass windows behind Sephiroth's desk allowed the General a perfect view of the training ground below. Two chairs sat in front of the desk. To the left side, a leather couch sat against the wall. Sitting on a raised shelf in the northwest was a 32" TV. Off to the right was a kitchenet.

"What do you think?" Sephiroth asked as he came up behind him.

"It's... it's... huge! Do all of you have such large rooms?" Cloud replied excitedly.

Sephiroth smiled softly at the blond's excitement. "Not all of us do. Only the higher elites do. Genesis and Angeal are two of them," he replied as he went into his bedroom that was next to the kitchenet.

"What about the Turks?" Cloud asked.

"The Turks have their own place. Their job is to guard Rufus ShinRa, ShinRa Sr.'s son," Sephiroth called from the room as he went through his closet to find clothes for Cloud.

A minute later, Sephiroth came out with a standard SOLDIER uniform, along with a pair of black combat boots. Giving them to Cloud, he allowed him to change in his room. After several minutes, Cloud came out, looking at himself. "How do I look?" he asked.

Sephiroth saw the shirt clung to Cloud's torso, showing off a six-pack. The pants were a little loose, but everything looked great on him. A light blush creeped up on his cheeks.

"Um... Sephiroth? Are you ok?" Cloud's voice snapped him out of his trance and the blush vanished in a millisecond.

"Huh? Oh yes. I'm sorry. I was thinking about something. It looks like they fit you great," Sephiroth replied hastily.

Cloud smiled and nodded his head. "So, are you going to show me around?" he asked.

"I don't see why not. If anyone asks about you, you tell them that you're new here and I'm showing you around. But, if you see Hojo, don't say anything. I'll point him out to you so you'll know who he is," the General replied seriously at the end.

"I already heard him. Just his voice gives me a bad feeling about him..." Cloud shuddered at the first time he heard the biochemist.

The two left his office and headed down the main hallways. SOLDIERs passed by them, either in a hurry to get to class or doing chores around the place.

"Hello, General, sir!" shouted one passing SOLDIER.

Sephiroth nodded in his direction before they continued on, pointing out the different rooms as they passed by.

"There's my classroom. I teach about Materia and its uses," Sephiroth said, pointing to a big room on Cloud's left.

"You mean magic?" Cloud asked.

Sephiroth nodded. "Some of my students are slow learners, but I can tell they're trying, so I try to be patient with them. If they request it, I give them private lessons or help them catch up on work they missed if they happen to fall ill," he explained.

"Do they say how hard it is?"

Sephiroth chuckled. "They complain that it's the most difficult class in their lives. It isn't really that hard once you've got the knowledge of it. They just don't like the work that goes with it. That's why they say such things."

"General, sir! Who's the new one?" asked a SOLDIER who stood guard.

"My name is Cloud Strife. General Sephiroth is giving me a tour around here. Who are you?" Cloud replied.

"Nathaniel Watts. He's a SOLDIER Second Class," Sephiroth replied.

"And soon to be First Class if I pass my exams. Nice to meet ya, Strife," the SOLDIER replied with a hearty smile.

"Carry on with your duty, Watts," Sephiroth said.

"Yes, sir! Later, Strife!" Nathaniel said before heading in another direction.

Coming to the main lobby, Cloud saw many more SOLDIERs, causing his jaw to drop a little. "How many of them are there?" he asked, looking up at Sephiroth.

"As of this year, there are over four thousand. The biggest we've had was about five years ago: over seven thousand. That's when I was Commander," Sephiroth replied.

"Whoa! How do you manage all of them?" Cloud gasped.

"Sometimes, honestly... I don't know. Most of them can act like brats at times and I have to treat them like brats should they get themselves into trouble, which often happens around here. There are some who think they are better than others just because of their rank," Sephiroth replied.

"General, sir! We have a problem!" called one of the First Classmen as he ran towards the two.

"Like now," Sephiroth muttered to Cloud before turning his attention to the young man. "What's going on?" he asked him.

The SOLDIER panted for a moment before speaking. "A fight broke out in my section of the barracks. Neals, Mitchell, Yates, and Erikson are involved."

"Come on. I'm tired of dealing with those four," Sephiroth said before running towards the barracks with the SOLDIER and Cloud right behind him.

Getting to the barracks, the sounds of fighting grew louder as they got close. Going into full General mode, Sephiroth kicked the door open and screamed "WHAT IN GAIA'S NAME IS GOING ON!"

The fighting suddenly screeched to a halt and Sephiroth surveyed the scene. However, he knew something was amiss. It didn't really look a fight broke out in here. He noticed that not many things were overturned or otherwise shattered. Plus, he counted three heads; Yates, Neals, and Erikson. "Where's Mitchell?" he asked.

The three didn't say anything. Sephiroth shot them a glare, but for some reason, they didn't seem phased. "I said where is Mitchell?" he asked slow in a dangerous tone.

Suddenly, the General found himself being pushed out of the way and a loud clang was heard. Turning back around, he saw the Cloud had saved him! But what really shocked him was that two large fins grew out of the blond's arms and blocked Mitchell's attack, but they didn't split or get sliced in some way! Pushing the black haired SOLDIER with a swipe of his arms, Cloud went to his side.

"Are you ok?" he asked.

Sephiroth nodded and was about to ask about his fins when suddenly, his senses alerted him and quickly unsheathing his Masamune, he blocked the other three's attacks. Swinging his blade, he sent them back and got into his fighting stance. "You planned this, didn't you?" he asked in an eeriely calm voice.

Cloud sent a glare at them. "How dare you try to blindside Sephiroth! I thought you guys were supposed to have honor!" he snapped at them.

The four didn't say anything as they attacked again. Sephiroth and Cloud fought back with twice the force.

"SOLDIER!" Sephiroth managed to call to the stunned one behind them. "Grab Genesis and Angeal! Tell them to hurry to the training ground! We'll meet them there! We've got a huge problem!"

"Y-Yes, sir!" the SOLDIER replied before hurrying off.

When the four attacked Sephiroth together, he threw them off with a spin attack. "Why don't we take this outside?" he said before the two fled down the halls.

The would-be attackers followed the two, shooting off Ice and Fire magic as they did. Cloud nearly got burned if Sephiroth didn't yank him out of the way. Getting to the training ground, the four surrounded Cloud and Sephiroth.

"I've had it with you four. I was going easy on you back there, but now..." Sephiroth's Mako eyes seemed to glow as he gave them a dangerous look. "... I'll show you how foolish you were to attack the General," he hissed.

"I'm right behind you," Cloud said, brandishing his steel-like fins.


End file.
